It is exactly as advertised. A cute little historical romance with just enough spice to keep it in 4 stars. I absolutely adore it. If you love he falls first and harder, foot in mouth moments and Darcy and Elizabeth then this book is for you.

A solid four star read that I really enjoyed! North is an excellent writer and she really excels at creating a range of characters who are all very believably motivated and have plenty of issues without roaming into the land of stereotypes. Lucius and Cressida are are great leading pair with immediate chemistry and whilst at times it's hard not to wish that they would just talk to each other about their damage, it's very believable that they wouldn't. The secondary characters are all also very interesting and I can't help but hope that there might be a sequel or two for Cressida's sisters and Lucius' brother.

There are only a few things that keep this from being a five star read. The pacing is a little off: the second half of the novel could do with a little more time to really expand on the issues between Lucius and Cressida, and the ending feels a bit rushed. For my part, I think it would have really increased the emotional fallout if the leads had actually consummated the marriage immediately after the wedding, rather than right at the end of the story. If you're looking for a steamy romance novel, this probably isn't exactly what you're after - although whilst I usually prefer a bit more heat to my romances, I would still recommend this. There is plenty of great tension between the two leads, and their chemistry is palpable. It's just a matter of personal taste that I would have liked a bit more heat.

Thanks to the author and Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this ebook in return for an honest review.

Historical romance. Regency England. Standalone novel. So this one is a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers type of romance with an awkward first meeting. Lucius is a new marquess and on his way to his new estate, he stops in town, and already hears gossip about how horrible the old marquess is and how the new one can’t possibly be better. Of course he finds that a pretty young lady Cressida and her sister are the ones gossiping, and they most definitely get off on the wrong foot when the ladies discover who he is. The first half of the book moves pretty slowly with getting to know the family dynamics of each of our characters: Lucius has a reputation as a rake in London, but he seems to care about his tenants at his new estate; Cressida has an abusive father and three sisters who have been neglected and not considered out in society, despite their ages, plus a shady history with the previous heir to the marquessate. These two argue and bicker every time they encounter each other, until finally, they’re caught in a room together and need to marry to save both their reputations. From there, we have more arguments and misunderstandings with tons of emotional angst. Despite the slow start to the book, when you realize Lucius and Cressida are both emotionally invested in the status of their relationship, so are you.

The Rake of Tamarix was a charming period piece, with agreeable characters. I did struggle with the pacing until the 3/4 of the way through mark, to which I then FLEW through, to make sure I got the ending I wanted.

All in all it is a short, enjoyable read with a happy ending and no cliffhangers. The writing was sharp and the story while not overly complicated, fit the time. I would certainly read another Georgina North novel will in the mood for just this.

ARC Review (ARC provided by NetGalley)
Great debut novel!

Loved both MCs even though Cressida seemed overly mean to Lucius for basically no reason.

Pretty standard trope but both characters backstories made it feel different.

Look forward to more writing by this author!

This was quite a pleasant surprise and I’m all here for it. It was a very interesting entertaining historical romance with highly intriguing and extricately written main characters !!

For every Heyer or Austen devotee who has quietly wished for more at the end of the story, there is The Rake of Tamarix by Georgina North. This is a beautifully written story of two headstrong and instantly appealing characters with painful events in their pasts that affect their ability to come together.

Cressida is one of four sisters whose windowed father has neglected all and abused one (Cressida). An aunt finally arrives to escort the girls to social occasions to give them a chance to find matches. Lucius has recently inherited a title and estate in the town where Cressida lives and he is captivated by her. They wind up forced together before their mutual attraction can naturally develop and through a series of misunderstandings, are separated. It's a simple plot, but one that is presented beautifully. The siblings on both side are memorable secondary characters that I'd love to see again if this proves to be the first in a series.

Following along as Cressida and Lucius come together and then separate is a heart-wrenching experience, but their love story is captivating and has the most satisfying of conclusions.

4/5 stars! A lovely regency romance. I really enjoyed Lucius' character but struggled to connect with Cressida at times. However, this story has all the great plot devices of a successful regency romance including enemies to lovers, forced marriage, and enemies to frenemies to lovers. They were rather harsh on each other throughout the story but I enjoyed them finding their way forwards together.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

The Rake of Tamarix Hall was a generally enjoyable historical romance that I finished over two nights. It follows fairly standard tropes, so you know roughly what to expect from the story, but there was enough original content in the plot to keep it feeling fresh. I liked both Lucius and Cressida as characters; however, I found some of their jibes at each other a little harsh at times. It just felt a tad too strong given the eventual romance and the fact that, while they were dealing with the own baggage in the way they reacted, neither had done anything to the other to require that level of vitriol. But that aside, it was an entertaining story with a pleasing ending and no glaring anachronisms, so I can recommend it to lovers of Regency romance. I am giving it four stars.

I really enjoyed this story, and couldn’t put it down. It had a feel of pride and prejudice with the mistaken impressions, and thrown into that were secrets, chequered pasts, and scheming people, which all made for a very gripping story. My only regret is that the book which had been clean throughout ended on a sex scene, and that the ending thus felt quite abrupt and as though it could’ve done with an epilogue, otherwise an excellent story

Great book to read on a day off. The writing took me a bit to get used to it to be honest, but still loved it. I came here for the enemies to lovers trope and it was delivered. The romance between the characters was so gradual and natural that it didn't put off at all. I found that the characters were very well written too, with enough depth to have an opinion about. I mean in general all was well done, the writing, the plot, the characters.

I heart Lucius and Cressida! This was a great read to start the year off with. I finished this in one sitting oops! Filled with an intricate world, amazing characters, and a swoon-worthy romance, this was lovey to read. I loved the character dynamics, they really popped off the page. I can’t recommend this enough!